Find your perfect fit: Custom Wedding Gowns vs Off-The-Rack

We know wedding dress shopping can be tricky! Finding a gown that is your perfect fit and matches your style and doesn’t break the bank is an overwhelming task. You might also be asking the question; what is a custom gown and how does it differ from off-the-rack?

To answer all those questions swirling in your mind, we’ve teamed up with Kait from Kait Grace Studio for some expert tips! Kait is a talented gown designer based in the heart of Brisbane and has answered some of our pressing questions so you know exactly how to find your perfect wedding dress.

What are the key benefits of choosing a custom wedding gown over an off-the-rack option?

The major difference is in the personal choice of experience - would you rather the immediacy of trying on and selecting a gown as is, potentially 10 - 12 months from the wedding? Or would you prefer a more personable experience with a designer to help create a unique gown, tailored periodically up until the wedding day? 

What is the process of creating a custom wedding gown, and how does it differ from buying a ready-made dress?

All “ready-to-wear” and “made-to-order” gowns are pre-designed and sold as is, exactly like the sample piece you tried on and ordered to a standard size. This is a great option if you you get nervous about visualising the end result of a custom journey, and need to see or feel the finished look pre purchase. 

Custom gowns on the other hand, begin with inspiration from either the house collection, fabrics and or the clients initial inspiration and research. Gowns can be designed entirely from scratch or based off different elements within the collection. As a designer and dressmaker, I will always guide my clients with design direction, silhouette and fabrics that best compliment their body, personality and wedding aesthetic. It’s a very creative relationship built on trust and provides the bride an opportunity to chat through and tweak any of the design details throughout their fittings. 

The initial consultation will provide a design sketch and ideal fabrics for their custom gown, but you never truly see the end result until the final fitting and pick up, which genuinely makes the entire journey quite exciting. Fittings can vary from 3 - 5 depending on the gown design and construction. 

What factors should you consider when deciding between a custom gown and a pre-made gown, such as budget, timeline, and individual preferences?

“Ready-to-wear” “Off-the-rack” and “Made-to-order” gowns are all produced to a standard size with the expectation of alterations on top for any tailoring needs. So the price of your selected gown and alterations are quoted separately, with alterations most often conducted through a third party business seperate to the store of purchase. 

Depending on the store of purchase and designers, timelines for these collections can often be similar to a custom gown, requiring anywhere between 6 - 12 months for production. 

With a custom gown, your quote for your design will always be inclusive of all fittings, fabrics, craftsmanship and tailoring, so there shouldn’t be any additional costs on top. 

While the lead times for a custom gown are very similar, 8 - 10 months, the bride has multiple fitting dates within that period up until two weeks before the wedding date. It’s a far more personalised experience throughout all stages of production, tailoring, fabric choices and design details - often providing peace of mind creatively, emotionally and financially. 

How does the choice of fabric, colour, and design influence the custom gown selection process?

The selection of fabrics are always a reflection of the brides personality and wedding day aesthetic - something that makes them feel excited and confident in. That can even be the particular shade of silk that best compliments their complexion or the formality of the wedding day. 

Working with a designer gives you access to fabrics that you wouldn’t otherwise find “off-the-rack”. Depending on the brides budget, this can include working with incredible fabrics and laces that houses like Monique LHullier, Dolce Gabbana, Jacquemus and Oscar de la renta have in their collections. Custom essentially offers the unique opportunity of designing red carpet couture like gowns in a personalised bridal aesthetic. 

You can always tell the difference in quality by the way a gown feels and looks on your body. 

What is the significance of a 'made-to-measure' gown, and how does it ensure a perfect fit on your wedding day?

The main significance comes down to the personalised experience, a unique gown that no one would otherwise be seen wearing, and the consistent tailoring at every fitting to ensure a beautiful fit on your wedding day. 

Every bride’s gown is drafted and essentially engineered from their individual measurements to a paper pattern and toile. Each fitting, the gown is then tailored and tweaked even more to ensure it hugs their body beautifully and comfortably. 

What is your role in helping you bring someone’s dream wedding gown to life?

For me, Fabric and Silhouette need to compliment each other & I will always guide my clients with what will and won’t work together seamlessly. After lots of research and shopping experiences, you could come away with multiple ideas and design choices that you think you want in a gown. It’s my role to help guide you with what elements will and won’t work well together and alternatively provide design suggestions that you may not have thought about for yourself. My role as a designer focuses on finding beautiful fabrics, considering design features and overall aesthetic choices that best compliment the brides personality, figure and wedding aesthetic overall. Everything is considered. 

It’s my dressmaking role that in addition to design, allows me to guide my clients from a constructional point of view, what will and won’t work in the approach to their gown ideas and fabrics, as well as the tailoring throughout their fittings. 

It’s the professional guidance from design and dressmaking that ensures the end result is perfect. 

What personalisation options are available with a custom gown, from embroidery to incorporating sentimental elements?

Two of my recent brides have asked me to stitch in the little blue ribbons from their mothers wedding gown as something sentimental. This could be stitched inside the gowns constructional layers, the inner hemline or behind any lace detailing to be kept personal but subtle. I always chat through these ideas with my clients and what is important to them. 

Bridal trends are now seeing more personalised elements such as embroidered wedding details & quotes on veils, accessories and gowns. 

How can a custom wedding gown accommodate special requests, such as cultural or religious requests?

This is something that we chat about during the brides initial design consultation, as often religious and cultural needs can influence the silhouette of their gown, design details and fabric colour. Some brides may require two seperate gowns for different events and ceremonies surrounding their wedding, others might ask for detachable elements like sleeves and capes to transition from their ceremony to reception. Everything in considered and respected with a custom bridal journey.  

What are the potential challenges or considerations brides should be aware of when opting for a custom gown?

The main aspect to consider, is if you and your designer align well. Other than design conversations, that’s primarily what initial consultations are for - to meet and see if this journey is for you. 

It’s a very trusting relationship, emotionally, creatively, financially and professionally; especially if you are creating a gown completely unique from scratch. 

You need to feel confident in the professional guidance and the periodic process of fittings; seeing your gown form in stages from initial sketch, to calico (toiling fabric for silhouette and shape), to structural layers and tailoring, up to the finishing design details. I appreciate that it can be hard to visualise and daunting for some, when you often don’t see the aesthetic design of your gown come together until the 3rd and final fittings.

I often use the analogy of baking a cake - you need the foundation to be great first, before you decorate. 

What should a brides first step be in starting the process of exploring custom wedding gown options to bring their vision to life?

On initial enquiry, I provide my clients with the option of a FaceTime or Studio appointment to meet and chat about the custom process. 

Virtual appointments are great if you are unsure about if you would like a custom gown and or feeling a bit lost in your bridal journey. It’s a great place to build a connection and better understand how we can work together on something custom for you. From there, I can help arrange a time for a studio appointment to refine your design before committing to the custom journey. 

Studio appointments are a wonderful opportunity to view and try on from my collection. It gives you a much better feel for the make of my gowns, quality of fabrics and we can chat through what you do and don’t love on your body. This can also include time to sketch out your initial ideas and drape potential fabrics to get a feel for how we would create it.

If a bride chooses to go ahead with the custom journey, I provide them with a client pack that includes a design sketch of their gown (custom or bespoke collection piece), fabric swatches and a timeline of their bridal fittings. 

We hope this post has been helpful for you in finding your perfect wedding dress! If you have any other questions about your wedding gown or anything else wedding related, please don’t hesitate to reach out, we’d love to help!